Valeh Nazemoff has danced ever since she was a little girl. But 10 years ago, she started something new — partner dancing. By dancing with another person, she learned many new skills that translated to her business life, said Nazemoff, an executive coach who co-owns a consulting firm and the author of "The Dance of the Business Mind: Strategies to Thrive Anywhere, From the Ballroom to the Boardroom."

Dancing gave her more energy and boosted her communication and coordination skills.

The Tribune asked Nazemoff for tips on how dancing can tap its way into the office, whether you're taking a class or taking notes from "Dancing with the Stars."

Building confidence. Partner dancing can boost your confidence, Nazemoff said. Along with the confidence booster of mastering, or at least trying, a new skill, it can help physically through the posture you build while learning to, for example, tango. "You're focusing more on your posture and on your style and the way you present yourself," she said. This can help in physical ways, where you're sitting behind your desk more confidently instead of sluggish. It also helps boost confidence in team meetings or during presentations by improving the way you carry yourself.

Communication skills. Dancing with a partner increases engagement and listening skills. "You need to listen to the movement," she said. "The listening comes from gestures." Being fully aware of your partner's actions, not just their words, can improve your overall listening skills. "It teaches you to respond instead of react in a situation," she said. So the next time you're in a meeting, you might be better calibrated to pay attention to not only what the person is saying but also their body language.

Finding strengths and weaknesses. Learning to partner dance might be a new task for many people. It likely will signal new strengths and weaknesses. Maybe your pace is perfect, but where you're moving your limbs needs work. By paying more attention, you can be more cognizant of strengths and weaknesses, which can also translate to work. In an office environment, it helps to know the things you excel at and those you need to work on. "You enhance you strengths, or you work more on your weaknesses," Nazemoff said.

Handling feedback. "In dance, you're constantly being judged by the audience, the spectators and the judges and the coaches," she said. "How do you receive that feedback and constructive criticism?" She notes that part of feedback is taking some and ignoring the rest. For example, know the difference between someone saying your footwork needs work, and a criticism that has no relation to your goals. "Some feedback you're going to say, 'That's good feedback, but it doesn't apply to my purpose.'" One key? Not taking it personally. "You might get emotional, but you digest the information." And, of course, you have a partner to help you grow.

Coordinate with a team. Partner dancing helps you learn how to connect and coordinate, she said. This is something you can use in any office — many people juggle working with different departments or handling customers or clients, for example. Partner dancing forces you to work with one person on a shared goal. In an office, she said, "You all have a common goal, but you need to be connected to that goal. Then when you're connected to that commonality, then you're able to coordinate together, and it becomes a dance." Learning to work with another person on the dance floor can translate to finding common ground, or even a common passion, in a team meeting.

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